President's Report - 2025

BPRA President Andrew Kinnear with our 50/50 Winner from the 2024 Family Fun Day

Bayou Park Ratepayers Association – President’s AGM Remarks

Delivered June 20, 2025

Good evening, everyone, and thank you for coming out to the Bayou Park Ratepayers Association’s Annual General Meeting. I’m Andrew Kinnear, and I have the privilege of serving as president of this small-but-mighty neighbourhood association.

This past year has tested us — but also brought out the best in us.

As most of you know, the ice storm did serious damage to the park. It took out limbs from nearly every tree, most of which were ash trees already hit hard by emerald ash borer. It was a tough blow to one of the things that makes this neighbourhood property special.

But I’m happy to report: as of this week, the trees have finally been cleared. It’s taken months of work — from sourcing quotes and managing logistics to having the weather cooperate with our arborist contractor— but we’re there. And that means: summer officially kicks off today. You'll notice that there are still trees that look unhealthy, but we decided to leave anything that leafed out this spring for another season. We'll now be actively managing the trees on the property, and will take down more in the fall or spring as necessary. We left up a tall stump so that the extremely popular zipline can be used all summer.

I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped us through the cleanup and recovery process. It was a heavy lift — and we did it together. From beach sand donations from Stewart, to family and friends raking after the storm, the property is quickly on it's way back to tip top shape.

You’ll hear more from the treasurer shortly about the financial success of last year’s events, but I want to take a moment to talk about them from an operational point of view. We pulled off a fantastic fundraiser last summer — well-attended, smoothly run, and full of great energy. It reminded us of what this community is capable of when we roll up our sleeves together. That spirit is what helped fund the park work, and it’s the same spirit we’re going to build on this year.

Speaking of which — mark your calendars:

The Bayou Park Regatta is coming up on Sunday, July 20th. It’s a fun, water-focused afternoon for the whole family. Bring your sunscreen, bring your floaties, and most importantly — start building those cardboard boats! It's always hilarious, always memorable, and a great way to cool off with your neighbours.

And then there’s the Annual Family Fun Day and Pig Roast on Saturday, August 23rd — our biggest fundraiser of the year. This year will be even better, with improved entertainment, fireworks, a bouncy castle, and an amazing dinner. But for it to be successful, we need help.

We’re asking for volunteers ahead of the event — not just on the day of, but over the next couple months— to help us with business outreach for raffle prizes and sponsor outreach for donations. In your spare time, without as much of a rush or pressure crunch. That’s what made last summer’s event so successful, and we want to continue that formula.

On another exciting note — our Legacy Giving Program is now live. This is a new initiative we’re really proud of. It doesn’t require any donation today — just a little space in your will to help protect this park for the future. It’s easy to do, costs nothing now, and leaves a lasting legacy. I encourage everyone to take a look at the program — it’s simple and powerful. The details are on our website.

Finally, we’ve had some changes to our maintenance plan this spring. Due to illness and the timing of the storm cleanup, we fell behind a bit. But as of next week, we’ll be fully back on track thanks to our new volunteer, Joey MacFarland from Westshore Crescent, who has stepped up to take on mowing duties. I'm often asked why there isn't someone raking the beach everyday or other high-maintenance requests, and I have to remind people that that $35 barely covers insurance and taxes. This is a volunteer-run organization, and just a little bit of help from everyone makes things go so much smoother. So grab a rake if the sand needs it, pick up a water bottle if someone forgot to recycle it. Let's act like we own the place, because we do.

So as we look ahead, we’re focused on rebuilding, replanting, and reconnecting. This is a small park, but it’s the heart of the neighbourhood — and with your help, it’s going to thrive for generations to come.

Thank you all for being here tonight, and thank you for continuing to show up for Bayou Park. I'd like to open things up to Q&A...

(If you have a question, feel free to email president@bayoupark.org )